Apparatus for inking ribbons



June 10, 1952 J. P. KNIGHT 2,599,561

APPARATUS FOR INKING masons Fil ed Nov. 12, 1947 A rrORA/EMs.

Patented, June 10, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR INKINGRIBBONS John P. Knight, Detroit, Mich.

Application November 12, 1947, Serial No. 785,253

9 Claims.

The present invention relates in general to improvements in the art ofsupplying ink to the continuous bands or ribbons of typewriters or thelike, and relates more specifically to an improved method of andapparatus for maintaining the impression ribbons of divers types oftypewriting machines properly supplied with ink.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved mode ofsupplying and of applying fresh ink to the continuous ribbons oftypewriters of various kinds.

It has heretofore been common commercial practice to supply fresh ink tothe advancing continuous ribbons of typewriting machines such astabulators, by feeding the ink from a supply basin through a wick to theimpression face of the traveling ribbon while the latter is being fedfrom one guiding spool to another. In most of these prior re-inkingsystems, fresh ink is poured into the supply basins from a bottle or thelike, whenever the supply runs low, and is delivered to the surface ofthe ribbon by capillary attraction through a feed tube having therein aflat or rather loosely woven wick; and. these previous devices were notonly extremely messy due to the method of handling the fresh highlyfluent ink, but they also failed to uniformly distribute ,the ink uponthe ribbon and could not be conveniently adjusted to vary the quantityof fresh ink actually deposited upon the advancing ribbon surface.

It is therefore an important object of the present invention to providean improved system for supplying fresh ink to such ribbon inkingsystems. in the form of hermetically sealed batches or cartridges whichmay be readily handled and applied to the machines without messing theoperators hands, clothing, or the permanent parts of the machines.

Another important object of this invention is to provide an improvedwick and mounting for ribbon reinking receptacles or cartridges, wherebythe ink may be uniformly deposited upon the ribbons in regulatedquantities and over selected areas only of the inked receiving surfaces.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved ink confiningand dispensing container or receptacle for typewriter ribbon inkingdevices, which will effectively seal the ink before application of theunit to a machine, and l which will also eliminate messy ink fromescaping after the container has been installed for normal use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved inksupply unit and an improved mode of producing the same, so that theconfined ink will remain intact and fresh until the unit is applied foractual use, while most effective dispension of the contents resultsafter such installation of the unit.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a simple,relatively inexpensive, and highly eflicient system for effectingre-inking of continuous typewriter or similar ribbons, in which thevarious structural elements may be safely and conveniently handled andmanipulated without introducing messy conditions.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description.

A clear conception of the several steps involved in my new system forpackaging ink, and of the construction and operation of the variouselements of a typical ribbon re-inking apparatus embodying theimprovements, may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying andforming a part of this specification wherein like reference charactersdesignate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a typical tabulator ribboninking assemblage, illustrating the manner in which my improved freshink supply cartridges and wicks may be applied during actual use;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through one of my improved inkcartridges, with the closure cap about to be applied during productionof the unit;

Fig. 3 is a part sectional elevation of one of the improved inkcartridges, looking toward the delivery end of the wick and showing theunit mounted in a pivot clamp preparatory to normal use;

Fig. 4 is a top view of one of the improved ink supply units, showingthe same supported in a mounting clamp;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section through one of the ink laden cartridgestaken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2, and depicting the unit disposedwithin a pivot clamp;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged diagram illustrating the manner in which theimproved cylindrical wick may be caused to coact with the ink transferroller, viewed from above; and

Fig. 7 is a similarly enlarged diagram illustrating the wick and inktransfer roller coaction as viewed from the side.

While the invention has been shown and described herein as beingespecially advantageously applicable to typewriter ribbon re-inkingsystems and for ofiice use, it is not my desire or intention tounnecessarily limit the utility of the improvements by virtue of thisrestricted disclosure.

Referring to the drawing, the typical system for re-inking continuoustypewriter ribbons shown therein, comprises in general an approximatelycylindrical fresh fluent ink supply cartridge 9 adapted to be rotatablyadjustably confined within a resilient clamp Ill mounted upon the frameof a typewriting machine, and having a'laterally extending tube l at itsupper end within which a cylindrical felt wick l 2 is snugly confined;and an ink transfer roller I3 journalled for rotation upon the machineframe and coacting with the wick l2 and with a continuous advancingribbon M of the typewriter so as to produceaband 1 50f ink which travelsfrom the wick to the ribbon 14 during normal advancement of the latter.The ribbon I4 may be fed from a supply spool 16 past a set of spacedparallel guide rolls [1, l8 coacting with'one face of the ribbon, whiletheink transfer .roller 1 3..coacts with-the opposite facerof the3ribbonM between the guide ,rolls H, 18,;and the tension on theadvancingribbongshouldbe maintained sufficient to cause the roller 13 tospread the fresh ink into a wider area or band 1,9 as the ire-inkedribbon passes the transfer roller and approaches the final guide roll20, see Fig. 1.

Thefresh inksupply receptacle or'cartr'idge 9 is of improvedhermetically sealed construction.

Each cartridge unit'consistsof a 'cylindricalrelatively deep cup-shapedtlower casing .22, and a closure cap 23 having an annular lip 24 at itslower end pierced by a vent hole 25 while its upper end is provided withanother vent opening :26 normally sealediby an'integral sealing{projection 2.1 in addition to having the ,wickguiding -tube ."IIrigidly associated :therewith. The inner rner depending end which isadapted to extend into the :lower casing 22 and to :rest 'ontheibottomthereof. The'outer end of the wick 12ppreferably .extendspast the tubeportion128 to theouter tube end, and is initially enclosed withinasealing cap 29 either screwed orslip-fitted over the tubeend, andsealed by a gasket or a seal strip 238, :as

shown in Fig. 2.

When the various elements of each :improved .ink confining cartridge 9have been .initiallyconstructed as above described, thesuccessive lowercup-shaped casings 22 are preferably supplied as in Fig. 2, with batchesor quantities of the :fiuent ink 32. With the ink 32 in each batch stillin heated condition, the cap '23 .may be applied so :that :the dependingend of the wick .12 will 'be immersed in the ink, and the cap lip 24 maybe gradually forced within the'upperend of thelbore ofithe casing 22with sealing cementflfiapplied to the annulargap as shown in Fig. 3.During this application of the cap 23, air will escape through rthetventhole 25 until this escape passageis sealed by the cement 33;.and sincethe :ventrhole 25 is sealed by the integral projection 21 and the outerend of the tube l isalso hermetically sealed by the auxiliary cap 29 andstripf3il,the finallyprepared ink receptable will be hermeticallysealed. If the cap is applied with the ink-in a heated-con- 'dition thecartridge will have somewhat reduced =internal pressure when theconfinedink 32 cools --to atmospheric temperature and contracts.

After the cartridges 9 have been thus constructed, loaded andhermetically sealed, the nuts may be handled without danger of inkescaping, and in order to apply one of the ink laden cartridges to atypewriter or other machine, it is only necessary to insert the lowerportion of the cylindrical casing 22 between the resilient jaws of thespring clamp l 9 which is provided with a mounting bracket 34 as shownin Figs. 3, 4 and 5, adapted to ,-be secured to the machine frame in anysuitable manner. The disposition of the mounting bracket 34 must be suchthat the portion of the cylindrical wick l2 at the cut-out portion 28 ofthe confining tube l I will be approximately tangent to the periphery ofthe ink transfer roller [3;

and the casing 22 should be firmly frictionally engaged by the clampingjaws it but should also be rotatably adjustable about its centralvertical axis so as to position the swinging end of the tube II atdifferent selected distances toward or away from theroller 13. With theink laden-cartridge 9 thus ;po sitioned within itsmounting clamp, the

sealing ,projection 21 may be broken awayso asto expose the interior ofthe previously sealed ink confining receptacle to the ambientatmosphere, and the sealing'strip 3D and cap 29 may be re- ,moved,whereupon the outerend portion of the cylindrical felt wick I2 maybecaused to coact withthe roller l3, as shown in Figsafi and 7.

With the installation of the fresh cartridge -9 thus completed, the "ink32 will be exposed toatmospheric pressure "and ink will saturate thefelt wick I 2 bycapillary attraction throughout itsentire length; and byutilizing the upper rectangu- :lar portion'of theclosure cap 23 to swingthe tube 28;relative-:to the ink transfer roller 13, the outer 'end ofthe wick l2 maybe flattenedmore or;less

against ,the .roller periphery so as to vary :the width of the ink band,I 5 depositedupon'theroller :13 during rotation thereof by thelongitudinally advancingribbon [4. .The band 15 of ink 32 thus deliveredto the roller [3 will be transferred to theribbon 14 during advancementofithejlatter, and Will be :spread out into a somewhat wider .band 19:as depicted in Fig. l, and by effecting accurate rotary adjustment ofthe cartridge 58 :within ,theholding clamp Ill, any desired uniformwidths of rink bands [5, [9 may be established. The typewriter ribbon Il'may fbe advancedieither constantly orintermittently, and the Wick :12'will continue to feed ink 32 from the casing .22 until thesupply-orbatch is entirely consumed, where- :upon the empty unit maybethrown away and replaced bya new'ink laden :hermeticallyrsealedreceptacle.

While "the above described mode of applying fresh cartridges 9 and ofeffecting adjustment thereof, will substantially obviate undesirableescape of ink, the lower casings '22 of the cartridges l9 which arepreferably formed of trans- ;parent .plastic orother material in orderto give 'a visible indication as to when the ink supply haslbeendepleted, may beprovided with external parallel ribs 35 adapted to coactwith the clamping jaws 10 of the mounting bracket 34 in the manner shownin Fig. 5, whereby only theridges jaws 1-0, the exterior of the casing22 will not be smeared with ink when the cartridge-9 is inserted withinthe-mounting clamp and is subsequently rotated for adjustment purposes,thus insuring clear vision through the transparent cartridge wall at alltimes. The spaced ribs 35 also facilitate insertion and removal of thecartridge units relative to the clamp, and furthermore assist in holdingthe cartridges in various adjusted positions.

From the foregoing detailed description, it will be apparent that mypresent invention in fact provides an improved system and apparatus forinking continuous ribbons [4 without wasting ink or introducing messyconditions. By loading and sealing the supply cartridges! in the mannerdescribed, these units may be handled without danger of having any inkescape until the cartridge seals are broken, and this hermetic sealingalso prevents possibletampering and substitution of ink 32 before thecartridges are to be finally utilized. The improved cylindrical wicks l2and cut-away formation of the tube end portions 28, cooperate with thecartridge mounting brackets 34 and clamps In, to provide means foraccurately adjusting or varying the rate of feed; and the tangentialcoaction of the cylindrical wicks 12 with the ink transfer rollers I3insures uniform feeding and distribution of the ink upon the ribbonsurfaces. The various parts of the cartridges 9 may be inexpensively butattractively produced of transparent plastic materials of diverse colorsindicative of different types of inks, and the discarding of the usedcartridges incurs only slight waste as compared to the advantages gainedby the hermetic sealing of the original cartridges.

Features of the invention have gone into highly satisfactory commercialuse and have proven very popular with the trade due to the substantialelimination of messy working conditions and more efiective applicationof the ink. It is also noteworthy that by forming the lower casing 22 asa unitary cup, possible leakage of ink through the cup button ispositively avoided, and since the ink used in typewriter inking systemsis highly fluent, this feature is important. The improved cartridge isdevoid of joints at the bottom and may have the wick confining tube I 1formed integral with the closure cap 23, and may be utilized for thedispensation of any fluid having characteristics analogous to those ofink.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this inventionto the exact steps of the system or to the precise details ofconstruction and use of the apparatus, herein shown and described, forvarious modification within the scope of the appended claims, may occurto persons skilled in the art; and it is also contemplated that specificdescriptive terms used herein be given the broadest possibleinterpretation consistent with the disclosure.

I claim:

1. An article of manufacture comprising, a hermetically sealed ribboninking cartridge having a sealing cap provided with a laterally ex.-tending tube and a detachable vent at the uppermost extremity of thecap, a supply of liquid ink confined within said cartridge below saidcap under partial vacuum, a wick having one end immersed within the inkand its opposite end confined within said tube, and a detachable closurefor the free end of the tube, the free end of said tube within saidclosure being formed to expose the side of the wick when said closure isremoved.

2. An article of manufacture comprising, a hermetically sealed ribboninking cartridge having a transparent lower ink receptacle and an uppersealing cap for the receptacle provided with a laterally extending tubeand a detachable vent at the upper extremity of the cap, a supply ofliquid ink confined within said cartridge under partial vacuum, a wickhaving one end immersed within the ink and its opposite end confinedwithin the tube, and a detachable closure for the free end of the tube.

3. A sealed ink. cartridge for application to a machine to supply fluidink to an ink carrying ribbon of the machine comprising, a hollowcontainer body adapted to contain a quantity of fiuidink, a tube securedto the body in sealed relationship therewith and opening within the sameand projecting laterally therefrom, a wick disposed within the tube andextendingwithin the hollow container body, the container body beingadapted to be mounted with the tube opening into the same above thelevel of the fluid ink with the wick depending into the hollow of thebody, means forming a vent opening for the body adjacent the portion towhichthe tube is secured, and means for sealing the vent opening and forsealing the free end of the tube and being removable to open the ventopening and expose the end of the wick for use of the cartridge.

4. A sealed ink cartridge for application to a machine to supply fluidink to an ink carrying ribbon of the machine comprising, a hollowcontainer body adapted to contain a quantity of fluid ink, a tubesecured to' the body in sealed relationship therewith and opening withinthe same and projectinglaterally therefrom, a wick disposed within thetube and extending within the hollow container body, the container bodybeing adapted to be mounted with the tube opening into the same abovethe level of. the fluid ink with the wick depending into the hollow ofthe body, means forming a vent opening for the body adjacent the portionto which the tube is secured, and destructible means normally sealingthe vent opening and sealing the free end of the tube, and removable bydestruction to expose the wick and to open the vent opening for use ofthe cartridge.

5. A sealed ink cartridge for application to a machine to supply fluidink to an ink carrying ribbon of the machine comprising, a hollowcontainer body adapted to contain a quantity of fluid ink, a tubesecured to the body in sealed relationship and opening within the bodyand projecting laterally therefrom, a wick disposed within the tube andextending within the hollow container body, closure means on the freeend of the tube in sealed relationship therewith for sealing thecartridge with the wick therein, the end portion of the wick beingexposed upon removal of said closure means for the transmission of fluidink from the container body through the wick and the exposed portionthereof, the body, at a location adjacent the tube, having a hollowintegral projection thereon adapted to be broken off to provide a ventopening.

6. A sealed ink cartridge for application to a machine to supply fluidink to an ink carrying ribbon of the machine comprising, a hollowcontainer body adapted to contain a quantity of fluid ink, a tubesecured to one end of the body in sealed relationship and opening withinthe body and projecting laterally therefrom, a wick disposed within thetube and extending into the hollow container body, said wick beingsecured to the interior wall of said tube, and closure means on the freeend of the tube in sealed relationship therewith for sealing thecartridge with the wick therein, the end portion of the wick beingexiposed'upon removal of said closure means for :the'transmission offluid ink from the container Ebo'dy'through'the'wick and the exposedportion thereof.

7. A sealed .ink cartridge for application to ,armachineltosupplyfluidink-to an ink carrying ribbon of the machine comprising, a hollowcontainer body adapted "to contain a quantity of flu-idtink and havingexterior parts constituting elements of a cylindrical bearing surface,such that the container'body may be mounted in hold- .ingimeans so thatit is 'rockable on its axis and rslidable axially, artube secured to thebody in sealed relationship and opening within the body and'projectinglaterally'from theaxis thereof, a

"wick zdisposed within the tube and extending within the hollowcontainer body, and closure "means on thefree end ofthe tube in sealedrelationship therewith, the end portion of the wick being exposedupon-removal of said closure means for ithe transmission of fluid inkfrom the con- "tainer body through the wick and the exposed portionthereof.

8. Asealediink cartridge for application to a.

machine to supply f1uid=ink to anink-carrying "ribbon-of the machine,comprising a hollow containerbody adaptedto contain a quantity of fluidink, a tubessecured to one end of the body in sealed "relationship andopening within the body and projecting laterally therefrom, a wickdisaposed within the tube and extending into the hollow container body,said wick being secured "tolthe interior wall of said tube and beingformed to present an edge portion lengthwise of the tube relativelynarrower than the body of the =wick, and closure 'means for the tube andwick at'th'e :free-end of the tube, the tube and closure means beingformed to expose the wick along its narrower lengthwise portion onremoval "of thezclosure means for transmissionof fl'uid ink through saidnarrower exposed portion.

9. A sealed ink'cartridge for application to a machine to supply fluidink to an ink-carrying ribbon of the machine, comprising ahollow-container body adapted tocontain a quantity of fluid ink, a tubesecured to the'body in sealed relationship to and opening into the bodyand projecting laterallytherefrom, the body having exteriorparts'constitu'ting elements of abearing surface, wherebythecontainermay be mounted in holding means and moved'to adjust thepositionof'the free'endof the tube, a wickdisposed within the'tube andextending within'the hollow container body, and closure means for the:wick "and free end of the tube, the tube laterally near its free endbeing open, the tube andclosure means being formed to expose the wick inthe opening near the free end laterally of the tube on opening, wherebythe 'inking'areaof theexposedwickmay be adjusted.

JOHN ,P. KNIGHT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in'the fileof'thi's patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

